In an announcement that many in Africa’s technology space are calling historic, Egyptian fintech heavyweight Fawry revealed that 20% of its newly written software code now comes from artificial intelligence (AI). This isn’t just a technical detail — it signals a major turning point for African tech, one that may reshape how digital finance evolves on the continent.
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A Fintech Giant Embraces AI: What’s Changing at Fawry
At a time when fintech companies are under pressure to scale quickly and innovate, Fawry is leading by example. In its most recent nine-month financial report, covering up to September 2025, the company disclosed that it has leaned into AI-assisted development.
By deploying AI tools in coding, Fawry has accelerated development cycles, improved productivity, and improved code quality — all while maintaining strict standards. According to its report, this shift is instrumental to its growth strategy.
Moreover, Fawry is not stopping there. The firm plans to roll out a proprietary large language model (LLM)-powered chatbot by the end of the year, illustrating how AI now underpins both its development processes and customer-facing products.
The Bigger Picture for African Tech
Fawry’s move is not just about one company’s efficiency — it could mark a broader pivot point for the continent’s digital economy. Here’s why:
- Scaling Innovation: As African fintech firms grow, they face the classic challenge of balancing speed with quality. AI-assisted development gives them a powerful lever: scale faster without compromising on robustness.
- Bridging Talent Gaps: Skilled developers remain in short supply across many African markets. By automating parts of the coding process, AI could help close that gap, letting firms punch above their weight.
- Digital Inclusion: Fawry is already known for serving both banked and unbanked populations in Egypt. With more efficient tech, it can expand its reach, launch new services, and drive financial inclusion more aggressively.
- Competitive Edge: As global tech giants like Microsoft and Google also ramp up AI coding, local players must keep pace. Fawry’s 20% AI code milestone suggests that African fintechs can be early adopters, not just followers.
Challenges and Risks: Not All Smooth Sailing
Of course, such a rapid embrace of AI brings its own set of challenges, especially in a sector as sensitive as financial technology.
- Quality Assurance: AI-generated code can be faster, but it may also introduce subtle bugs, or less-readable logic. Rigorous testing and human review remain essential.
- Security Weaknesses: The risk of introducing vulnerabilities via machine-generated code is real. According to recent academic research, AI-authored code sometimes has a unique defect profile compared to human-written code. arXiv
- Ethical & Governance Concerns: Who owns or is responsible for AI-generated code? As more fintechs integrate AI, questions around accountability and transparency will demand clear internal governance.
- Workforce Implications: With AI handling a growing share of code generation, traditional developer roles may shift. Firms will need to re-skill engineers toward architecture, design, and oversight.
What It Means for Africa’s Tech Story
This development at Fawry is undeniably symbolic. Here’s how it echoes across the wider African tech narrative:
- It reinforces the continent’s place in the global AI wave, showing that African firms aren’t just consumers of tech — they are innovators too.
- It underscores the maturity of African fintechs, suggesting that they are ready to build not just payment platforms but deeply integrated, AI-driven financial ecosystems.
- It signals a shift in ambition: from digital payments to full-blown digital banking, enriched by AI, data, and automation.
Conclusion
Fawry’s announcement that 20% of its new code is AI-written isn’t just a tech metric — it may represent a major inflexion point. For African fintech, this is a bold statement: innovation here is not trailing global trends — it’s keeping pace.
If Fawry succeeds in building more AI-powered products like its LLM chatbot, it could redefine digital finance in Egypt and beyond. The ripple effects may not just be financial but cultural, as African tech repositions itself from follower to leader in the age of AI.
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